Creating Innovative Oral Health Care Programs Training Manual

Creating Innovative Oral Health Care Programs Training Manual

This training manual synthesizes lessons learned from the federally funded Special Projects of National Significance (SPNS) Innovations in Oral Health Care Initiative (Oral Health Initiative), and has important implications for addressing oral health care among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Oral health care is one of the most frequently cited unmet needs among PLWHA.

The objective of this training manual is to provide oral health program-planning information for target audiences that include HIV, primary care, and dental providers interested in expanding or replicating innovative models of oral health care for PLWHA.

This training manual consists of the following components:

An overview of the importance of oral health care in total patient care and specific considerations for PLWHA

A discussion of the barriers to oral health care that PLWHA face

A synopsis of key details of the SPNS Oral Health Initiative, its grantees, and the models of care studied

A survey of the best practices garnered from the SPNS Oral Health Initiative, and the potential benefits and challenges associated with each model of care discussed, along with other considerations, such as costs, logistics, and sustainability

A list of helpful additional resources to further assist with the replication process and the delivery of high-quality oral health care to PLWHA